


We Don't Work

by sugarmoons



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Apologies, Break Up, Established Relationship, M/M, is it still an established relationship if they break up within the fic?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:54:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24478282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarmoons/pseuds/sugarmoons
Summary: Harry breaks up with Draco after he realises that maybe a relationship isn't the best thing for him. Draco wants nothing more than to change his mind, even when he knows it's never going to happen.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	We Don't Work

“This was a mistake,” Harry sighed. 

They’d been fighting all week. Arguing back and forth like it was a sport. The only difference was no one was ever going to truly win. So in a futile attempt to apologise to each other they met up by the lake, neither really ready to give in or say sorry.

Confused Draco asked, “What was a mistake?”

“This, us, all of it. I was stupid to think this could work.”

An uncomfortable half-smile spread across Harry’s face. He was playing with the cuffs of his jeans, his knuckles grazing against the grass they were sitting on. Draco tried to catch his eye to force Harry to look at him and elaborate but Harry was focusing on the rippling lake. Deliberately avoiding eye contact.

“We’re just in a rough patch,” Draco tried, “It happens, we’re young.”

He wanted to be the voice of reason but he’d been thinking similarly for a while. Not because he wanted the relationship to end but because he thought he was dragging Harry down into whatever hell he resided in. Draco was a mistake in all meanings of the word. At least he that’s what he believed himself to be. 

Harry, still gazing upon the lake, said, “We’re too young. Too hopeful,” a coarse laugh erupted from his throat, “Draco, you won’t even tell your parents. How do you think this will work out? We’ll live happily ever after whilst you marry some pureblood girl and I sit on the sidelines. Fuck that.”

“Don’t. Go. There.” 

“Why not?”

Draco shook his head, “Because you know for a fact I would never do that. You also know why I can’t tell my parents. Do you want me to flip it on you and ask you to tell those muggles you go to in the summer?”

Both knew that telling the Dursleys would be the last straw in kicking Harry out. The wizarding world was already weighing on the final thread but Vernon was as homophobic as they come. They also knew that Lucius would disown Draco if he came home with a boy. That or force him into the mold of a perfect, straight, boy. Neither were pleasant.

“Draco we don’t work.”

“Sometimes we do.”

And they did work sometimes. They would laugh and cuddle and love each other as if the world depended on it. But when they were bad they were horrible. They’d fought millions of times, with strong words and screaming. McGonagall had given them a detention once because they were arguing in the halls. It was that disruptive.

Harry huffed, “A relationship can’t live off of sometimes.”

“Then we do better.”

“Or we end it and move on.”

Parts of Draco felt suddenly heavy. His heart became a weight that was dragging him to the ground whilst his lungs crumpled up into balls.  _ Or we end it.  _ In hindsight he should’ve seen it. Everyone else seemed to. But hearing it come from Harry’s lips, was hellish. 

Draco never saw the end. He never let himself. He put massive chunks of himself into his and Harry’s relationship. Secrets and insecurities and all the things that kept him up at night. He had listened to Harry vent all his frustrations, he knew Harry’s favourite food, colour and subject. He had comforted Harry after many nightmares and got him through various assignments. 

Draco had very little outside of their relationship that was stable and he was terrified of it disappearing without a fight.

“Don’t do this,” He pleaded, “Give it some time, I’ll be better.”

Tears made his eyes glassy and through the blur he could see that his hands were shaking. Harry still refused to glance his way.

“I’m not asking to break up with you, Draco. I’m breaking up with you, whether you want that or not. Sorry.”

It wasn’t even a proper sorry. It was blunt and harsh and was said with little meaning. Harry didn’t apologise, he said a word and it made everything so much worse. 

Whilst wiping his eyes with his sleeve Draco asked, “What did I do?”

Harry’s head had never turned so fast, “What?”

With a little more confidence Draco repeated, “What did I do?”

Harry didn’t speak for a minute. His mouth sealed shut. Draco didn’t look away once, if this was how it was going he needed more than ‘We don’t work’.

“You did nothing. Or well, you argued, we argued. We disagree a lot, so even when it is good something gnaws at my brain telling me it won’t be like this for long. I can’t be in a relationship where I’m worried everything will tip over the edge. I already live a life where everything is falling off.”

Harry looked more apologetic now. His emerald eyes staring into Draco’s telling him that it wasn’t his fault. And it eased the growing tension a little. 

“Do you really want to end this? Or are you stressed about being a hero? And I’m sorry if I’m pushing but I just need to make sure I’ve covered every possible angle before I let you go.”

With a deep breath Harry shuffled over and wrapped his arms around Draco, pulling him into a comforting hug.

"I need space and time, not a relationship. I’m sorry I kept it going this long but I do love you, I really do. I just can’t deal with this on top of everything else.”

Draco relented, “Okay.”

He shrugged off Harry’s arms, a smidgen of pettiness slipping through his composed cracks. He still wanted to cling onto what they had but he wouldn’t. Even if he started grasping at loose ends he’d just lose his grip. Maybe it was for the best. 

Sometimes you needed a storm before the clouds cleared. Draco could deal with a break up if it meant better things ahead. He just had to keep himself together whilst he waited.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! <3


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